


The Value of a Good Night’s Sleep

by rudbeckia



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Sleepwalking, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 19:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: Walking back from training late at night, Kylo is surprised to see Hux emerge from his suite and behave oddly. He follows, intending to gather evidence that Hux is unfit for command and should be removed.But something Hux does or says whilst sleepwalking makes him change his mind.(Originally written as a twitter thread story.)





	The Value of a Good Night’s Sleep

As he reaches the part of the ship’s habitation wing reserved for high ranking officers, Kylo Ren surreptitiously rubs his aching side. The soft glow of the rest-cycle lights barely guides his path and the quiet, persistent hiss and hum of air scrubbers and heaters is clearly audible. He doesn’t bother to suppress a sneer as he nears General Hux’s suite, stamping past Hux’s door, hoping the vibrations add to the General’s bad mood, and walks on to his own rooms. He stops. Behind him, a door hisses open.

Kylo turns slowly. Hux stands in his own doorway, dressed in his uniform but with his cap askew and a few strands of red-gold falling over his forehead. Hux takes one uncertain step forward, mumbles something, then sets off back along the corridor. Frowning at this unexpected turn of events, Kylo follows a few steps behind. He senses Hux’s elevated emotional state and he wonders for a moment if the sycophantic fool is drunk. But Hux’s steps are steady, if slow, and he seems to walk with purpose. With a slight lurch, Hux halts at the door to a small control room. He holds his palm flat to the wall beside the door and waits, slapping his hand harder on the wall when nothing happens.

Kylo inches closer. Walking around to Hux’s other side, completely ignored, Kylo sees that although Hux’s eyes are open, they are glassy and unblinking, flicking from side to side without seeming to see what is, or is not, in front of him: there is no biometric reader to scan Hux’s hand and admit him to what is a glorified service closet. Kylo reaches in front of Hux and taps his code into the door lock. Hux is, Kylo realises after brushing gently across his mind, asleep.

Kylo struggles to contain his delight. He enters the room after Hux, determined to find some way of using this discovery to his own advantage. He imagines with glee the look of humiliation on Hux’s face when High Command finds out. Hux turns to face one of the walls. He speaks, barely audible at first with half-formed words slurring together, but rising in volume and clarity until Kylo can make out what Hux is saying. He listens, ready to memorise and repeat whatever incriminating phrases Hux utters.

But after a minute, Kylo’s face darkens. This is not the response of someone merely overwhelmed with the challenge of running the First Order’s military capability. This is a response to some past trauma embedded so deep in Hux’s being that Kylo suspects Hux has buried it himself.

He waits for Hux to stop speaking. In a firm, calm voice that belies his lack of confidence, Kylo says, “You’re safe now. Go back to bed.” When he repeats the suggestion, Hux frowns, shakes his head, mumbles. Kylo holds his breath in case Hux is on the point of waking, but Hux simply turns and walks out of the control room. Kylo follows Hux back to his own suite and sees him safely back inside. He tells Hux softly to lie down on his sofa, then leaves.

Once back in his own quarters, Kylo comms Hux.  
“What?” Hux’s reply is sharp.  
“I want you to authorise two squadrons of stormtroopers for my planned mis—“  
“Was it necessary to wake me up for that, Ren?” Kylo smiles at the annoyance in Hux’s voice. “Tomorrow would have been soon enough.”  
The connection is cut without a goodnight.

Next day, Hux authorises Kylo’s request without further comment. Kylo goes to Hux’s office when he receives the automatic notification. Hux looks at him in disbelief.  
“What now, Ren? I’m busy.”  
“Thank you for reassigning the stormtroopers I asked for,” says Kylo. He turns to leave but looks back. Hux is already dealing with the next datapad from his stack. He glares up at Kylo.  
“Anything else?”  
“No,” says Kylo. “I wondered if you were feeling... well.”  
Hux’s fingers still over his datapad and his jaw clenches. “You can assure Leader Snoke that I am in perfect health.” Hux looks up again, face pale and drawn. “Goodbye.”

Kylo passes Hux’s rooms again late that night. He waits. He hovers near his own door, listening for the telltale hiss of Hux’s door opening. Sure enough, maybe an hour later than the night before, Hux appears. This time he is missing his cap entirely, his belt is absent and tunic hangs open so that his undershirt can be seen. He is wearing neither gloves nor boots. Kylo follows only as far as the end of the corridor and then he darts ahead and stands in Hux’s path.

When he catches up, Hux stops. “I must go to my father’s study,” he says. “Please stand aside, Kayfour.”  
Kylo’s eyebrows shoot up. He weighs up the situation quickly and decides on a course of action. He mimics the carefully modulated tones of a protocol droid. “Your father does not need to see you.”  
“But he always makes me go to his office now,” Hux insists, words slipping into a mumble again.  
“Not tonight, young master,” says Kylo, mimicking Threepio from a distant memory. “Please allow me to escort you back to bed.”  
Hux nods and says no more. He turns and Kylo follows close behind. After a few steps, Hux stops, reaches a hand back and clasps Kylo’s gauntlet. Kylo jerks in surprise then recovers, leading Hux back to his quarters in silence.

He stays to see Hux settled on his sofa then leaves. Again, he comms Hux about an unimportant matter, but gets no answer. He returns to Hux’s suite and finds Hux fast asleep, still on his sofa, snoring softly. Kylo fetches him a blanket.

Next morning, Kylo finds another excuse. He breaks some training equipment then marches right into Hux’s office to demand that it be replaced immediately. Hux looks up, and Kylo notices with a strange feeling that the dark shadows around his red-rimmed eyes are perhaps a little reduced.  
“By the stars, Ren, I’m your co-commander not your nanny-droid. You could order replacements yourself.” Hux frowns as he taps out the command. “Do you really need me to hold your hand?”  
Kylo feigns a sulk and walks out. He imagines their next nocturnal encounter with an odd warmth in his core and a slight upturn of his lips.

That night, Kylo waits in Hux’s usual path, within earshot of Hux’s door. He slips in and out of meditation, unwilling to give himself over fully to the Force in case Hux sleepwalks right past him. When Hux finally appears, he is wearing a black robe. Hux stops in front of him again.  
“Out of my way, Kayfour, I have to see father.”  
“No you don’t,” replied Kylo. “He does not require you to go to his office ever again.”  
“I must!” Hux takes a step forward. “He ordered it! It will be worse for me if I defy him.”  
Kylo steps back but he is not fast enough. Hux barges him, stumbles and jerks awake. Kylo puts a hand out to steady Hux but Hux shakes him off. He says nothing for a few long seconds, then demands, “What the kriff is going on, Ren? Where am I? Is this your doing?”  
Kylo shakes his head. “Come with me.”  
Hux glares at Kylo then looks around. “This is the corridor outside my suite! I demand that you tell me immediately what you have done. I was at my desk finishing a report before bed and now I am standing outside in my robe! Did you use your magic powers on me? You had better not have—”  
“Shut the kriff up, Hux, and come with me. I will explain.” Kylo walks toward Hux’s rooms. Hux scowls but follows.

He complains when Kylo insists on accompanying him into his suite, but Kylo ignores him and picks up a datapad from the desk. He hands it to Hux. “Check the security feed from outside this room.”  
Kylo gives Hux a list of dates and times. Hux watches, dumbfounded, as each night he leaves his rooms and is escorted back safely and discreetly by Kylo Ren. He checks a few earlier nights too and watches himself walk along the familiar corridor and reach a hand up to a non-existent biometric reader. Hux’s face could be carved from alabaster. He turns to Kylo.  
“How long have you known about this?”  
“Only these three nights,” replies Kylo. “I doubt anyone else knows.”  
“So each night, you waited for me to sleepwalk?” Hux looks away. “Why?”

Kylo sighs and paces the room. “I thought I could blackmail you if you said anything incriminating. But the things I heard... I changed my mind.” He looks everywhere around the room except at Hux. “Better for the Order if you are not witnessed wandering the corridors raving about your bastard of a father.”   
Hux’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. “You chose to prevent me from making a fool of myself when you could have used these... episodes as evidence that I am not fit for command?” Hux shakes his head. “You hate me. I thought you wanted rid of me.”  
“I thought so too,” confesses Kylo, coming to a standstill. He laughs. “But I think I would miss your kriffing stupid motivational speeches too much.”  
“Those are an integral part of the stormtrooper and junior officer conditioning programme!” Hux blurts, cheeks reddening when he realises from his grin that Kylo is teasing.  
“Goodnight, Hux,” Kylo says, heading for the door.  
“Wait,” Hux calls after him. “What about tomorrow night? I can’t have you up all night waiting to see if I go wandering.”  
Kylo shrugs. “Sleep in my rooms then.”

Kylo can still hear Hux’s laughter as he closes his own door.

But the next night, almost as soon as Kylo returns from his physical training session, Hux arrives at his door with a stack of datapads and a bag.  
“I thought about your suggestion and it makes more sense than having my door guarded by droids or troopers who are conditioned to follow every order without question and will simply get out of my way if I order them to.”  
Kylo stands back and waves him inside.

Kylo offers Hux the desk he never uses and settles to meditate. Hux works quietly and Kylo finds the regular taptaptap of fingertips on a datapad is not distracting. When Hux’s head starts to nod and jerk up again, Kylo says, “You can have my bed or my sofa.”  
“Your bed,” says Hux.  
“Fine.” Kylo fetches a blanket for the sofa. Hux tuts at him.  
“I need to know that you will wake up if I get out of bed and try to leave your suite,” Hux says. “That means I need you in bed with me.”  
Kylo’s face warms. He waits for laughter that doesn’t come. Hux picks up his bag, goes into Kylo’s bedroom, strips to his underwear, folds his uniform, and vanishes into the ‘fresher. He emerges with damp hair falling over his eyes, dressed in a soft grey sleepsuit. Without his bulky clothing, Kylo thinks Hux looks fragile. He waits for Hux to get into bed then follows his own routine. When he comes out of the ‘fresher after a quick sonic, Hux is already asleep. Kylo gets into bed. After a few minutes trying to get comfortable, he turns onto his side and puts his arm around Hux. Hux shifts but doesn’t wake.

He wakes to the sound of a blaring alarm. A long, slender arm reaches over to silence it and green eyes blink at him blearily. “Good morning,” Hux says, voice gruff from sleep.  
“Hunnnmf,” replies Kylo, pulling the cover over his head.  
Hux laughs and gets out of bed.

The same thing happens the next night. And the next few, until it becomes part of a shared routine. Kylo doesn’t notice anything different until he catches sight of Hux unexpectedly on a surprise inspection of the hangar where he keeps his Silencer. For a second, he wonders: who is the strikingly handsome young officer who looks a bit like the General? Red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes have been replaced with alert, cool grey-green. Sallow, hollowed cheeks have gained colour and filled out. Dark circles have been reduced to normal shadows. The hard, desperate expression has softened. As he watches Hux conduct the inspection, Kylo can’t help but smile.

That night, as Hux is falling asleep in his arms, he pulls Hux closer and kisses him.


End file.
